Welcome to Crossroads
by ChaseOfSpades
Summary: What happened within the walls of the Crossroads Mall that we didn't see? What kinds of things happened to the inhabitants that we don't know about? (A series of short stories that go a little bit more into depth about what happened to the occupants of
1. Sweet Dreams

Sweet Dreams  
  
Kenneth yelled out into the night with a bellowing cry. It was the type of clatter that the Crossroads group had gotten used to. In the nearly complete obscurity of the night it was hard to see but Ana could make out Ken from her cot. She sat up quickly and found that he'd waken everyone else as well.  
  
From the dim light that there was in the mall they could all see that he was covered in a fine sweat that was accumulating on his brow and upper lip. His whole body shook in nervous jolts like he was being shocked by a large amount of electricity.  
  
"Harvey!" He yelled with a volume that made everyone in the room jump. "Harvey!" He screeched it with even more fear and anger in his voice. There was no doubt about who Harvey was. Kenneth had a brother that, by assumption only, had died at Fort Pastor.  
  
"Harvey, I'm coming!" He yelled it again. It was more than hard to watch such a large man that seemed to be afraid of nothing in a state of complete helplessness. Ana walked over to him in an attempt to wake him from his terrifying nightmare. She knew how horrible it was to dream about lost loved ones and she wanted to pull him from that hell as quick as possible.  
  
She reached over and, with a gentle touch, shook his shoulder. This was soon considered to be a bad idea. He'd fallen to the ground on the other side of the bed, and it was there that he started to cry. It was obvious to the group that he didn't know they were watching.  
  
It seemed to Ana that Kenneth had met a breakdown point and his true feelings were reaching the surface. He stood up from the sweat and tear soaked ground, using all his might. Startled by the onlookers, Kenneth jumped back a bit.  
  
"What tha fuck are yall lookin' at?" He said in a pissed voice. It was more than obvious to Ana that Kenneth had been hiding all the pain this entire time and this was all an act. If that was how he needed to cope than she was more than happy to let the process carry itself out.  
  
Ken grabbed at his dark blue, sleeveless shirt from the ground and looked back at Ana. "I'm going to the roof and yall better not follow me."  
  
He started past the watching eyes with his bad-to-the-bone walk. Once his back was turned to them a single tear started to fall down his cheek, getting mixed with the sweat that still clung to his face. Horrible, that was how he felt.  
  
Finding himself on the roof with nothing to do but stand, he let himself think about his brother some more. Harvey had been his baby brother and an old childhood memory rushed to his mind. It had been December and they were just little boys. The memory reached out a grabbed him like the skeletal had of Death. It clung to him and wouldn't let go. The recollection of that day wrapped around him like a dark cloak and it made everything else fall away. He soon found himself living in the memory for just a moment.  
  
Kenneth was four years older than Harvey was and it was just an unwritten rule that Ken was to always look after him and make sure he was safe. There was a small pond not too far behind their small house that they used to swim in during the summer months. That winter the pond froze over with just a thin layer of the solid ice.  
  
Harvey may have been a great kid with a wonderful heart but he wasn't always the brightest child. Seeing that the pond was frozen over, Harvey quickly ran out over the thin sheet of ice thinking that it would be thicker. It would have been his last mistake if Ken hadn't been there right behind him.  
  
It wasn't long before the ice cracked, broke, and gave in under Harvey's weight. Not even giving it a second thought, Kenneth ran out onto the already weakened ice and pulled his brother out. He'd almost died himself over the deadly ice.  
  
His brother was put in the hospital for the night, though he pulled through with no serious injuries. Kenneth remembered watching his brother get taken off and wondering if that would be the last time that he'd see him alive. His brother kept screaming about the pain or it all and a chill swept of Ken's body when he thought back to his screams.  
  
It was the first life that Kenneth ever saved and it was that day that he decided he would be a police officer. It was that day that he made his mind up that he would never let any harm come to his baby brother's head.  
  
Another tear rolled down his cheek but this one was followed by many more. There was no way that he'd let the others see him cry but he began blaming himself for his brother's death. Looking out into the dark blanket of the night sky, he started to talk to himself.  
  
"I miss you baby brother", he said as he fought the tears. "I didn't mean to let you down." The tears were unstoppable now. "I wouldn't have told you to go to Fort Pastor if I had known that it wasn't safe. I'm sorry."  
  
Kenneth thought that Harvey would be out of harms way if he stayed at Fort Pastor. It had been Kenneth's idea to meet up at the safe haven. Once again he fought the tears, and this time he did it long enough for himself to let out a yell that was full of his anguish, fear, hate, and above all, sorrow.  
  
After a few hours spent on the roof, Ken went back down and found that everyone had settled back into bed. He joined them, well aware that the nightmares awaited him.  
  
"Good night baby brother", he said into the dark space of the mall. 


	2. The Running Man

The Running Man  
  
The only two people in the bookstore sat close to one another in the same soft chair. Nicole, a beautiful red head with sparkling blue eyes, and Terry, a handsome young man that had fallen for Nicole with all his heart. The two lovers looked into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity, it still wasn't enough time though.  
Even though they had both become very close and there was an unspoken bond between them, there was still a lot of tension built up when they were around each other. It was hard to be young, in love, and surrounded by strangers.  
Nicole smiled at Terry with her beautiful and soft lips. Smiling back, Terry couldn't seem to make himself blink. The idea of loosing her from his sight, even if for just a moment, was unthinkable as they sat there. He final got himself to close his eyes, but only because he was leaning in for a kiss and thought it was tacky to keep them open while you did so.  
Their lips grazed each other in a very quick kiss that was over as quick as it started. She giggled, he laughed, and they both blushed. After the silliness had left the environment and the sexual tension returned, they met stares again.  
This look was much different than the one that had happened before. This look was supercharged and it was a mutual feeling. Terry, who could almost taste the kiss, leaned in slowly and pressed his lips to hers. It wasn't long before their tongues had left their own mouths.  
Just as the kiss had gotten good, they both heard Kenneth yell with his bellowing voice. The moment was over and Terry was already up to see what was taking place on the roof. Out of the chair, down the hall, around a few corners, up the stairs, and to the roof they found everyone looking down into the street.  
"Over here!" Ana yelled. "Over here, at the mall!" She yelled again.  
Terry and Nicole ran to the edge of the building to see what they were all yelling at. A man in good shape with very ragged clothes was evading a large group of the monsters on the road. He looked like he had a runner build; he'd probably been in cross-country before all of this happened.  
It didn't look as if he'd heard Ana and the rest of them yelling because he just kept running around in circles away from the group. He did it with a certain amount of accuracy and grace. It was almost as if he'd been doing it this entire time. Running was probably the way that he'd survived this whole time.  
Michael made one last attempt at getting the man's attention. With everything that he had he yelled at him. "Over here!"  
The running man heard him this time and, just for a moment, he looked up at the mall. It was in that moment that he made his first mistake. Taking his attention off of his footwork made him trip up just a bit, but it was enough.  
Like a snowball going down a hill, his footwork became sloppy. He tripped over himself a few more times before the finally face planted into the pavement. The left side of his face got scrapped up, his upper body started to bleed, and he was unconscious.  
"Oh no!" Ana said. Terry held Nicole close to him as she put her hands over her face. Michael watched in horror.  
The group engulfed him like a wave of water. A few hours later they spotted the infamous running man walking around among the dead. Andy put on in his head and that was the end of that. He was the first and last person that they ever saw that wasn't included in their little group. That night they all had horrible nightmares about the running man. 


	3. Utopia

Chase Buie GhHu215@aol.com  
  
Author's Notes: This chapter takes place right after the previous chapter, The Running Man. This is the day after and tells about how they each felt about the subject.  
  
Utopia  
  
Nights had always been uneasy at the mall but the night following the running man had been particularly tough. Michael hadn't slept a single wink from the time that the sun went down to its rise. Although he never showed it, he couldn't get the image out of his head of the man tripping and falling due to Michael's calls.  
He would have probably been okay. He thought to himself. If I hadn't called to him he probably would have made it to safety. He was probably better off with out me. He died because of me.  
Ana was having thoughts very similar to Michael. The look on the runner's face as he tripped for the first time. He must have known that it was over once he stumbled for the first time. Ana wasn't like Michael; she couldn't fight the tears. As soon as the timer kicked in and the lights went out, she started to cry silently to herself.  
"Ana?" Hearing her sobs, Michael whispered. "Ana, are you okay?" He said it in a comforting voice. An act, the greatest act, was to pretend like he was strong enough to help others. He slowly sat up in his bed, looking around to make sure that no one else was awake. He looked at Ana with her back to him. She was laying on her side and gentle vibrations rolled through her body as she cried.  
"Yeah, I'm fine", she managed to choke out in between sobs. "How you doin?" It wasn't much of a question because she knew how he'd answer. Spending day and night with strangers lets you know more about them than you would think. She was starting to know Michael like the back of her hand.  
"I'm okay", he was predictable. "You're crying." It wasn't a question. He looked at the back of her head as if he could see straight through it to the other side, to the crying eyes that had red, puffy rings growing around them.  
She sniffled a bit, whipped away most of the tears, and rolled over in her bed to face him. The look on his face said a mouthful. He tried to hide it, but it wasn't working. Small, dark circles had formed under his eyes making him look much older than he had been a few hours before. His mouth came to sharp points that formed down at the corners.  
"It wasn't your fault", he said as if that was comforting her. He wanted to hear someone say that to him, more than anything.  
"I know", she said as she sat up. She met him eye to eye as they sat in their beds that were next to each other at the moment. Usually he slept in a furniture store and she slept on a small cot near the food court. He pulled his bed out of the store and sat it next to hers a few nights before.  
"So, you can't sleep either?" He said it more than asked it. "I'm sorry, that was stupid."  
She almost chuckled at that. Almost. She propped her knee up so that she could rest her elbow on it, which would support her head. She blinked and her eyes stayed closed longer than she wanted them to. Every time that she closed her eyes for a long period of time she saw his face. The running man kept sprinting through her head.  
"I'll be okay. The question is how are you?" She said it as her eyes started to close again. She pulled them open as quickly as possible.  
"I--", he stopped. "I will be okay." She noted the "will" be okay. After a few more minutes they dozed off again, only to be met by nightmares of the dangerous.  
  
Terry woke up at dawn. He'd chosen to sleep on a makeshift bed that sat on the roof. The bleached white light of the sun woke him almost instantly. He opened his eyes to a beautiful sky that was painted with wonderful shades of purple, pink, and orange. It was like a glimpse of what heaven would be like. He actually smiled at something simple again. He'd almost forgotten about the simple things.  
He sat up slowly to find that Nicole had made a similar makeshift bed next to his. This brought him a smile. She told him that she only felt safe when she was around him, that made it hard to sleep when she wasn't in his presence. She rolled over a little, trying to hide from the waking power of the sun.  
She finally gave into the light and opened her eyes. The first thing that she saw when she woke up was his face. A large smile stretched across her beautiful face, adding to the cute look of waking up. She always did look eatable when she'd just waken up.  
"I love you", he said it without thinking. He instantly wanted to take it back out of fear that she wouldn't return the gesture. He was fairly sure that she felt the same way but fairly sure isn't the same as positive.  
She blushed with her morning face and then her mouth opened just enough to speak. "I love you too." Terry felt his heart fall straight to his feet. He leaned over to her and pressed his lips to hers. After the kiss he stayed close enough to feel the heat from her face.  
"I love you so much", he said. His lips grazed hers as he said it. "After yesterday I'm glad that I have someone."  
"I know the feeling", she spoke in a soft and almost hurt voice. All night long she'd fought away nightmares of the running man and replaced them with dreams of Terry. Her dreams usually revolved around Terry and her living in the world before the mall. Terry getting to meet her friends and her mom. It was a great place to be.  
They stayed face to face for another few minutes before they returned to his bed. She laid on his chest with his arm wrapping around her, holding her close and protected from all the dangers of the world. The watched the clouds as they changed their bleached colors from reddish pink to yellow to white.  
  
Michael started to get passed the incident that had taken place the day before. He figured that dwelling on the subject would only make things worse for the rest of the group. He didn't want that for anyone. Ana felt the same way. They started to make breakfast early that morning and the laughter had returned.  
"You know this is our Utopia, right?" He said to her with a smiling face. The hurt was still there but it was hidden deep within his mind. He could control it just as he had with the rest of the death that he'd encountered on this endless adventure.  
"How do you mean?"  
"We have friends here. The silver lining to this place is that we are, for the most part, happy. Terry has Nicole, Luda has her babies daddy, Steve has his girl, and I have--", he stopped. "I have you."  
She managed a blush with this and then she realized that she wanted to kiss him. She felt her body start to pull itself towards him, but then she stopped. They had all the time in the world, right?  
"You're right. This is Utopia." 


	4. Past Lives

Authors Note: Thank you ScreamQueen13 for putting out yet another beautiful story. You keep inspiring me to write more stories. This one and the next one, are for you. Just so everyone knows, this story was to add complications to the love story of Terry and Nicole. This story and the next story are going to go together so be on the look out for it. Thank you.  
  
Past Lives  
  
"So, what's your favorite movie?" Terry looked deep in to Nicole's eyes as he carried on one of those unbelievable conversations with her. He'd had six talks with her like this that stretched over the entire night.  
  
She cocked her head to the side for a moment and bit on her bottom lip, which by the way was very sexy. After thinking for a few seconds she responded with, "There are just too many."  
He smiled a bit, thinking the same thing. "But I can think of my favorite kind of movie", she said. "Believe it or not, I love action movies. They have to have a little bit of romance to them though." She responded.  
He could picture her watching movies before all of this happened and it made him smile. He could really picture them at the movies together watching something scary. That, above all things, brought a smile to his face.  
"Well, that was my favorite type of movie. That is, before all of those things started to take over." She looked as if she could almost cry. She really enjoyed spending time at the movies or even renting them and watching them at home.  
Terry tried to change the subject quickly. "So, you like art too? That is what you said, right?"  
She nodded.  
"I've seen some of the stuff that you've done in the lower levels. I really like it." This brought a smile to her face and it melted his heart to see it. "Yeah, you should see me try to draw. The last time I tried I was still using crayons."  
They both laughed and it seemed to make things go away for a moment. Terry's new philosophy was "make the best of where you are". Nicole made this very easy for him.  
He looked around at the mall surroundings, the rest of the group seemed to be else where so they had the area near Hollow Grounds to themselves. Terry looked at Nicole as she looked at the mall around them and he started to reposition himself; setting on the ground just didn't feel good no matter where you were.  
When he moved his old black wallet fell from the back of his pants to the floor with a soft thud. Her gaze quickly jumped to the money holder and she saw it as an opportunity to know what Terry was like before the life at the mall.  
She grabbed for the wallet before he could react and then she was up and running playfully. Terry's face grew long with a look of fear. "Nicole!" He jumped up to follow her.  
She had already opened the wallet, taken a look inside, and stopped before he got to her. "Who is this?" She asked as she pushed the wallet towards his face. In the photo slots there was a picture of a young pretty girl in a red tank top and blue jeans. Standing next to her with his arm around her was Terry. A large smile was worn on both the faces and it was obvious that it was a romantic moment.  
"Nicole," he started, "that was before all of this." He didn't know what to say. It was more than obvious who the girl was and there were no words that would pull him out of this one.  
"All I want to know is did you love her?" She asked it with an underlying hurt in her voice.  
He looked down at the ground for a moment. He didn't say a single word, but that was more than enough to bring a tear to her eye.  
"There is nothing I can do about what my life used to be. That, to me, was a past life." He tried to look into her eyes but she resisted the gesture and looked away. The tears that had formed in her eyes blurred her vision, but she knew that the look on his face would hurt her even more.  
"I just--" She paused for just long enough to wipe a few of the tears away. "I want you to know that you were my first love." Looking at him to make her point even stronger, she continued. "I just don't think I can be around you right now." Against all attempts by Terry to keep Nicole there, she walked off. 


	5. Future Lives

Author's Notes: Once again, I would like to dedicate this to a great author and a good friend of mine, Sparkingdiamond. If anyone that reads this gets a chance, I recommend that they read some of her stuff. I hope she doesn't mine me saying that. If you haven't read Past Lives yet you should read it before reading this one because this is continuation of that story. Please enjoy!  
  
Present Lives  
  
Terry was in a state of utter dismay. Nicole had found a photo of his old girlfriend in his wallet; his first love actually. He'd never meant for her to see the picture and he'd also planned on getting rid of it. The hardest part about the whole situation was that Terry and Emily, that was her name, hadn't ever actually broken up.  
They were still together when he left for work that morning. A pain in his chest started to form when he thought about what probably had happened to her. They were high school sweet hearts and had been voted by their class as the most likely to get married. So much for that.  
He sat alone in the "Reflex Sports" store. He was trying to think of a way to make it up to her but she made it know right away that she was not speaking to him. Whether it was the fact that he hadn't told her or that he had a girlfriend that he loved before her, it didn't matter. Anger was the key to all of it, regardless of why.  
"What's up Terry?" Ana walked up behind him. He turned his body slightly to see who it was and then he was back to looking at the floor between his feet. "Something to do with Nicole?" Picking up on dramas within the group seemed to be one of Ana's new found skills. She was turning out to be something of a R.A. for the Crossroads survivors.  
"Yeah. She found a picture in my wallet of my old girlfriend. I just want things to go back to the way they were. I just want to be with Nicole more than anything in the whole world and I wish I could find a way to tell her that I love her with all of my heart without her thinking that it was just me trying to apologize to her." He closed his eyes again. "I never was very good at the whole romantic thing."  
Smiling a bit, Ana sat down next to Terry, looking at the floor as well. "Well, you've got all the time in the world to work on that." She was right in a way. "Why don't you just try really hard to let her know what you think of her? Come right out and lay it all on the line."  
"And you think that will work?"  
"It would on me", she said.  
He looked over at her for a second and a smile started to spread across his face. "You are actually a lot of help. I just wish I could tell--" He stopped. His eyes drifted to something behind her. She spun around to see that a camcorder had been taping them the entire time.  
"What the hell?" Ana asked to no one.  
Terry hoped up and walked over to the camera, switching it to a viewing mode. He rewound the tape to the beginning and began to watch. "It appears that Steve and Monica made another homemade movie and forgot to turn the camera off", he said with a snicker. He fast-forwarded for a few minutes until he came to the conversation that he'd had with Ana.  
"I think I just got an idea", he said.  
"For what?"  
"I'm going to be romantic. I'm going to need your help as well as some of the others."  
  
***  
  
"Nicole! Nicole, come here!" Michael yelled from the furniture store. The sound of urgency rode heavy in his voice. She came running around a corner until he was in her site. A look of fear was spread across her face.  
"Where's the fire?" She asked in an almost pissed voice.  
"I think you'll wanna watch this with us", he spoke as he motioned her to walk into the dark furniture store.  
The setup of the store was different that what it had been when they'd first shown up to the mall and it had been moved recently. All of the chairs, love seats, and couches were made into a small semi-circle around the largest television that had been in the electronic store. The TV was turned on but nothing played on the screen. A small camcorder sat next to the TV with wires connecting the two.  
The entire group, with the exception of Luda, her boyfriend, and Terry was there. She didn't even care that Terry wasn't there because she was still pissed at him. Michael led the way to the couch where she had a center seat saved for her.  
"What's going on?" She had a puzzled look on her face as she looked around at everyone hoping to get an answer.  
"You'll see in just a second." Ana said it with a smirk on her face.  
"Nicole," it was Terry's voice from some unseen place, "I know that you are mad at me and this isn't to make it up to you. I did this so that you would know just how much you mean to me."  
She wanted to get up. She wanted to leave right then. Looking at all the faces as she sat there she knew that she couldn't just get up and leave. She decided that she would just sit this one out and see how things ended up.  
Terry walked out of from behind some tables off to the left and walked over to the TV. "You once told me that your favorite type of movies were action with a little romance, although it made you sad to know that you wouldn't ever see that kind of movie again."  
Everyone started to do a drum roll with his or her mouths and by slapping their hands on their legs. Surprisingly, even Kenneth and Steven were chiming in. This took Nicole by surprise. She had absolutely no idea as to what was going on.  
Terry started speaking again. "Terry and Ana productions presents, a Michael and Kenneth film. Produced by Terry. Directed by Terry. Written by Terry. Staring Terry, Michael, Kenneth, Ana, and Tucker as drunken fighter.  
Terry's little speech made everyone but Nicole laugh; she was trying very hard not to. He hit the play button on the camera and the movie started. As the first scene started they all whispered, "The Action Romance Movie".  
Nicole let out just a bit of a chuckle to this. The movie opened up with Kenneth standing guard in front of one of the stores. He was holding a large piece of pipe that he'd probably gotten from the hardware store. Terry walks into the shot with a pipe as well.  
"I need to see my queen!" He shouted out in a lame acting voice.  
"I am truly sorry to--" He forgot his line. Someone off stage whispered something to him and he started up again. "I am truly sorry to inform you but you may not pass without fighting me first. This will surely be full of action." He said it in an even more lame voice.  
Nicole started to laugh almost uncontrollably. She was very surprised that Kenneth would act in a film like this just to make her feel better. But, then again her motto was always there is more than meets the eye.  
Terry pulled out his pipe and so did Kenneth. After a few minutes of very slow and very lame fighting, Terry killed Kenneth by placing the pipe under his arm. It almost looked like he'd stuck him in the gut. Almost.  
Terry walked into the store and was met by Michael and Tucker. They were standing guard next to a lawn chair that sat facing away from him.  
"My queen!" He yelled.  
"You must get through us first", Tucker said as he stumbled a bit.  
"Hiya!" Terry said as he plunged at them. Another fighting scene that looked almost identical to the first one broke out and Terry beat the both.  
Nicole was really enjoying herself and she didn't even notice that Terry was staring very intently at her.  
In the movie Terry ran up to the chair and turned it around to find Ana setting there. Terry smiled very wide at Ana then he dropped his pole so he could put his hands over his heart. He went to one knee and continued with the horrible acting.  
"Nicole, my queen." He spoke to Ana. "You may never know how much I care for thee. You are my queen and will always be. I wish I could make you understand."  
Nicole figured it out now. She watched with her beautiful blue eyes and a tear almost fell down her face.  
"I will do my best to let you know", he continued. "If you will just give me a chance I will make your life the best that it has ever been."  
Suddenly it flashed to someone holding up a piece of cardboard that said "To be decided!"  
Just as she thought that it was over and she was ready to get up and give Terry a hug the shot flipped over to a dimly lit sports store. The shot consisted of Terry sitting next to Ana.  
"Yeah. She found a picture in my wallet of my old girlfriend." The tape recited his words. "I just want things to go back to the way they were. I just want to be with Nicole more than anything in the whole world and I wish I could find a way to tell her that I love her with all of my heart without her thinking that it was just me trying to apologize to her. I never was very good at the whole romantic thing."  
By this time Nicole had too many tears in her eyes to see the rest of the video. She stood up, walked over to Terry, grabbed his around the waist and kissed him with everything that she had. Most of the room applauded as if it were a scene from the movie.  
After they finished kissing, with everyone still watching, she whispered to him. "Promise me that you love me with your entire heart."  
He didn't even have to think about it. "I promise you that I love you with my entire being. I wanna take care of you forever." 


	6. Confrontation

Confrontations  
  
The sun was just going down for the night and it left the sky with a magnificent display of colors that pleased everyone that watched it. Michael, Ana, Steve, and Kenneth stood on the roof of the Crossroads mall. Surprisingly, Andre walked through the access doors and joined the group for a moment. It had been an entire week since Kenneth had seen Andre and a lot longer since he'd seen Luda.  
"I just needed some fresh air", he said without anyone asking first. He must have known that they were curious as to why he'd suddenly decided to come out of his hiding.  
"We could all use some fresh air from time to time", Michael said. "You know, it makes you wonder if anyone else is looking at this same sunset somewhere else in the world." He smiled to the thought of more survivors. They all did.  
"No, we are the only ones left", Steve said without missing a beat. "But if you miss people you could always go downstairs to all those people on the street."  
Michael shrugged his comment off. He had gotten really good at this. "Yeah."  
Andre walked over to the ledge, keeping his back to the rest of the group and looked over. Moaning, walking, running, stumbling, crying people gathered around the mall with just one thing in mind, food. He cringed for a moment before he started mumbling.  
"Hey Andre, they look hungry. Why don't you hop on over and give 'em a taste", Steve said with a small little snicker.  
Andre spun around with a look in his eyes that they'd never seen before. The darkness in his eyes looked too much like the look that those things had. Almost as if something inside of Andre had died. "What the fuck is your problem?" He had already started a quick walk over to Steve, who was backing up slightly.  
"No cocky comment now, motha fucka!" He balled up his fist and laid into Steve's jaw, sending him to the ground with a little spin. There was a loud thud as he hit the hard rooftop and gravel went flying around his body. Andre didn't give him a chance to get up before he was on his back, straddling him. With a handful of hair he lifted his head up and then back down into the ground. A string of blood flew off of his upper lip from a large gash that was left from the first blow.  
Kenneth was soon doing his part to break up the fight, or lack there of. He put a bear hug around Andre, lifted him up off of Steve, and tossed him a few feet to the right. He pointed at Andre with a threatening finger as he got back up to his feet.  
"You do that again I will personally throw you over the ledge. You got me?" Kenneth said in a very direct tone. It seemed that police training was still handy, even in a post apocalyptic world.  
"Thank you, you have no idea what I can do for you", Steve said through the blood as he got to his knees.  
Kenneth looked down at Steve with even more anger in his eyes. "Don't thank me. I just couldn't let this guy kill you. If you'd said that to me I couldn't have hesitated to break that pretty nose of yours." This put Steve in an awkward crawl away from Kenneth.  
"Now I'm going to enjoy this sunset and if you two try and ruin it for me again, it'll be hell." He turned back around to Ana and Michael, who were staring at the spectacle. "What?" He said with a bit of a smirk.  
"Nothing." They said in unison as they returned the smile. The three of them turned around and watched the rest of the sunset.  
Andre walked back downstairs to his waiting wife. He was even more sure now than ever that they wouldn't understand if they found her. "All the more reason to keep you here", he told her as she slept. "All the more reason."  
Steve went back to the Hallowed Grounds to see if Monica would "tend to his wounds". He grabbed a shot glass and filled it with whatever he could find. "My night is getting better already", he said under his breath as he took the shot.  
Michael looked at Kenneth for a moment and figured that there was more to him that just the pushy police officer. Kenneth's eyes didn't leave the sunset once. When it finally went down he looked over to the man and woman that was to his right and said, "Now wasn't that nice?" They all laughed for a moment in agreement. "I'll leave you too alone", the last part seemed to have something more there than met the eye.  
After he was gone, Ana looked at Michael and he to her. They talked about the night's events and laughed at a few parts. They both agreed that it was worth it to see Steve get taken down due to one of his endless comments.  
"So, you want to go back down?" Michael asked.  
"Actually, I'd like to just stay up here with you for a while. To tell you the truth, I really like spending time with you. It is very relaxing." She fought the smile that was starting to form on her face, futilely.  
"Well, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't feel the same way." He didn't even fight the grin. He could barely see her face in the dark but he could make out that she was blushing very slightly. Not something that he'd seen her do. He wasn't going to argue with it.  
"I wish that things could be different for you, Ana." He said while keeping his eyes one her. "I know that everyone here looks up to you and I can relate. I know that it is hard for you and I want you to know that if you need me, I'm here."  
"That could have been the most romantic thing that anyone has ever said to me", she said with a smile.  
He laughed a bit. "Well, I'm trying really hard." He laughed again as if to say that he really wasn't. They both laughed and carried on for a few more hours before they finally retired to their beds, which were pulled next to each other. 


	7. Andy

Andy  
  
He looked down at the mass of undead that had collected themselves outside of his safe haven. The sun had gone down and with it the men and women from the Crossroads Mall had left Andy to himself atop the Gun Shop, which he owned. Looking down at the monsters that would like nothing more than to rip his flesh off with their teeth and eat him he began to think about all that he'd lost.  
  
He hadn't mentioned anything to the other survivors about his family that he'd lost. He wouldn't even know how to begin to tell them about his story, his tragedy. He stood up out of his lawn chair and rubbed a few aches out of his back before heading to the door that lead downstairs.  
  
Once he was down the long stretch of steps he found himself in the main shopping area and his living area for the time being. Sleeping behind the counter seemed like the safest of his choices just incase something did get through his reinforced doors.  
  
Setting on the countertop was a picture frame that showed a beautiful woman in her forties and two children, all dress in camouflage. His reaction to the picture was mixed as a heartwarming smile spread across his face and a tear slid down his cheeks.  
  
He reached out with his starved, skeletal hands and picked up the cold frame. Cocking his head to the side so the tears would fall off his face he studied the curves of the faces that looked back at him from the picture. An empty hole was left in his chest every time he could bring himself to look at the photo of his family.  
  
"How was I supposed to know?" He said to the picture. He desperately wished that they could talk back. He'd give anything to see them all again, to tell them that he loved them. Realizing that he'd never get that chance again just brought more tears to his eyes and erased the smile.  
  
"You know that I wouldn't have left if I'd known what was going to happen. I never would have left", he said. While whipping a few tears off of the glass that kept the picture from the rest of the world, he broke down and curled over on himself.  
  
"I wish that I could have quit my drinking. I really do wish that we'd never gotten in that fight." He looked back at his wife. "I thought it would be best if I left the house for the night, if I went to the gun shop to sleep it off." He raised his weak and shaking hand up to his face to wipe a tear off of his face. "I didn't want to hurt you or the kids. Please God tell me that you knew I loved you!" He shouted.  
  
His body started to rock back and forth as he tried to calm himself down. "I left you all alone in that house. Anything could have happened to you. I came home drunk like every other night that week but this night was different. I yelled at you that night. I yelled at you and the kids." His sobbing got worse as he spoke. Confessing his soul to the picture frame seemed to be a mixed blessing of sorts. "You kicked me out of the house for the night and told me to sleep it off. You packed my things and told me to go sleep in the Gun Shop. I should have stayed with you. I didn't know!"  
  
His focus quickly shifted from the picture frame to a Beretta 9mm that beckoned him from the glass display case. It did more than just tempt him; it offered him a relief. It promised him things that he wanted so badly he could kill for them. He could kill himself to get them. A chance to apologize, a chance to tell them that he loved them, and a chance to put himself out of his misery.  
  
The Beretta looked like a tall glass of ice water in the middle of a desert. He reached deep into his pocket and fetched a set of keys out, one of which that opened the glass display case. He placed the key into the proper slot and turned enough to open it. Reaching into the case and putting his hand around the handle felt so right and so good he wanted to cry with pleasure. Knowing that it would all be over soon made a new kind of tear form in his eyes.  
  
He placed the gun to his temple and popped of the safety with his pinky, his index finger wrapping around the trigger. Closing his eyes he could see his wife and two boys smiling at him with an invitation.  
  
"You can't do this. You know you can't do this", he said to himself. Then, just as quickly as they appeared, his wife and kids vanished.  
  
"No, I'm not supposed to die today. I will surely see you soon", he said to the photo as he placed it back on the counter followed by the gun into the case. 


	8. Questions

**Questions**  
  
The better part of the Crossroads Mall group had gathered around a large table that they pulled out of a furniture store. The table had been pulled out to sit near the Hollowed Grounds, their primary gathering place. The table itself had a large, red tablecloth that covered it completely and several candles on top of that. The group had just finished a meal that had been prepared by Ana, Nicole, and Monica. Spaghetti, hamburgers, and mash patatoes with a side of coffee.  
  
With the exception of a few, the whole group was there and plenty full from the well-enjoyed meal. The sun had just begun its decent towards the horizon when they finished eating and their bodies were still wired from the excess of coffee running through their blood.  
  
"Well, what do you guys wanna do?" Michael sat at the head of the table. In the face of danger, leaders aren't usually chosen or elected. A good leader will emerge from the crowd and take the position before he or she even realizes it. Sitting in the seat that he was and looking at all the faces that were looking back at him, he realized that he had become the leader of the group. The thought alone scared him.  
  
"Truth or dare!" Nicole shouted without thinking. Monica's eyes quickly shifted over to Nicole and her expression said it all. He glare in her squinted eyes, her upper lip rising slightly, her eyebrows cocking back just a bit, she showed everyone what she thought of Nicole without ever saying a word.  
  
Michael chuckled a bit at the youthful comment and then he added his own suggestion. "Well, I don't know about truth or dare, but how about truth?" All eyes turned to him again, sending a chill down his spine that left the hairs on his arms standing up.  
  
"What an action packed game." Steve never missed a beat. Monica was the only one that snickered at the sarcasm but it was enough to stroke Steve's ego.  
  
"Well, I was just thinking that if we all went around and asked each other questions that we were compelled to answer honestly, we might get to know each other better. I could go first if you wanted me to." Michael didn't really feel that he had to justify his idea because no body really took Steve seriously. He'd been dieing to learn about his comrades and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.  
  
"All right, go Michael", Ana said it with a smile on her face. She sat two seats down from Michael but she felt closer to him than ever.  
  
He looked down at the table with a look of deep concentration written all over his face. Suddenly, as soon as a light comes on, his face changed from curious to decision made. He looked up at Kenneth, who had been quiet the entire night, and pointed at him. "I got one for you, Kenneth."  
  
Kenneth had been the second biggest outsider of the whole group next to Andre. Michael had a suspicion that there was more than met the eye to Kenneth. Like a book that you shouldn't judge by the cover because he could be completely deceiving.  
  
Kenneth's eyes looked up from his plate that had been licked clean with the exception of a few spots of tomato sauce. His face stayed expressionless as he met Michael eye to eye.  
  
"What did you do before you were a police officer? I mean, you have to be twenty-one to be a cop, so what did you do in the mean time?"  
  
The question caught Kenneth off guard and his face told the whole story. He blinked a few times, trying to shake the look of surprise off his face. He looked back up at Michael and one word summed it all up. "Army", he said.  
  
Everyone nodded at the answer and smiled. It was always a pleasure to hear Kenneth speak because it happened very seldom. Most of the conversations that he had were with a man that lived across the street, Andy, and they couldn't even speak to communicate.  
  
"I've got one", Ana said. "This one is for Nicole. All of those pictures down in the basement, you seem like you are an artist. Was that a hobby or something?" Her question was more to get other people to join in than it was to find out the answer.  
  
"Oh, well, yeah. I loved art before all of this happened and I had a full ride to UNT, it's and art college in Texas. My father had been a freelance artist when all of this happened, but he told me that I was going places with my talent." She wore an unfaltering smile the entire time that she spoke. In the beginning her father's death had really gotten to her but once she found Terry it seemed to fade away a bit.  
  
"I've got one for our nurse", Steve said with his index finger pointed at Ana. "I noticed your wedding band on your finger when we first got here and then I noticed that it just disappeared one day. What is that all about?"  
  
Ana had to struggle to fight the tears that had started to form just below her eyes. She didn't want anyone to know that Steve had finally struck a nerve and so she raised her hand up very slowly and extended her middle finger. Steve put his hands up to his heart like he'd been hurt but his face wore a smirk. "We all lost loved ones here now didn't we Steve? Well, I take that back. You'd have to have had someone love you for you to lose loved ones. That kinda takes you out of the running now doesn't it?" This brought laughs from most of the people at the table. For the first time since they'd gotten to the mall, Steve actually looked beaten.  
  
"My turn", Monica said trying to take the attention away from Steve. "Mine is for Terry." Everyone knew that the question was going to be for Terry but directed for Nicole. Ana actually squinted her eyes the way you would do if you know that a loud sound was approaching.  
  
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea", Michael tried to undo what he'd done, but it was too late.  
  
"Terry, I was wondering, who was the last person that you fucked?" She licked her luscious red lips as she said it. Kenneth coughed into his cup of coffee as she said the question. Everyone was taken by surprise because it was blunt, even for Monica.  
  
All faces turned to Terry, including the very curious eyes of Nicole. Terry's face turned very cautious and he returned Nicole's look. They stared into each other's eyes for a few heartbeats before Nicole turned back to Monica. "I was."  
  
A large gasp hit the whole table and everyone seemed even more shocked by the answer than by the question. Kenneth grew a little smirk, which was very uncommon. Michael flat out smiled at Monica as her face turned to anger and frustration. Ana, who was sitting next to Nicole on the opposite side that Terry was sitting, put her hand on Nicole's knee. Their eyes met and Ana lipped out "way to go".  
  
Ana wanted to ask Nicole if her answer with the truth or if she just wanted to pull the anger out of Monica. Either way, the answer couldn't have been chosen better. Monica's face became flush with a red anger that rode up her cheeks.  
  
"I've got one", Kenneth's voice broke the snickers and giggles. Shocked eyes turned to the new speaker of the table and everyone was anxious to hear what he had to ask. "Everyone, what were you doing when this all happened? What brought us all together here?"  
  
"Good question." Ana stood up. "I was still in bed when it all happened. I had come in late from work. My husband and me slept in together." She enunciated the word husband and looked at Steve as she did so.  
  
Michael stood up and looked at Ana. "I was on my way to a job interview. I was going to try and get a job at a CVS distribution center. I was stuck in a traffic jam on the highway when everything went wrong. That was when I met Andre and his wife. They were on the way to the OBGYN."  
  
Nicole stood up with Terry. "My father and me were going to the lake for the weekend. We used to go there every summer and go fishing. It was going to be the first time in three years that we were going to go together."  
  
"I came into work at five o'clock in the morning. I didn't notice anything strange until C.J., Bart, and I watched a little TV. That was when we realized that something was wrong."  
  
C.J. stood up after Terry and adjusted his hat just a bit. He hadn't talked much the entire night, but unlike Kenneth, he wasn't a puzzle. "I was with Terry. I always got here first and when I turned on the TV they were talking about something that had gone wrong the night before. I shrugged it off and called my mother to make sure she was okay. That was the last time I ever spoke to her." A new glance into C.J.'s life that no one had expected.  
  
Kenneth stood up. "I was on duty and the reports on the radio just kept comin' and comin'. I'm surprised that I didn't get hurt at all the scenes I went to that night and morning. I lost my partner that day. We'd been together for three years. He tried to render aid to a lady that had been bitten." His words trailed off.  
  
Monica stood up, still showing red in the face, and opened her mouth just enough to speak. "I was out with three guys, skinny-dipping. That's pretty much where I was." Everyone laughed except for Monica.  
  
Steve stood up. "I was skinny dipping with Monica", he said.  
  
"Wait, you two knew each other before all of this?" Ana asked. She'd always been under the impression that they'd just met.  
  
"Well, we met that night." Steve grinned wide enough to show his bleached white teeth. The look on his face showed that he'd had sex with Monica that night and given the fact that there were two other guys there that night, he probably hadn't been the only one either.  
  
The whole table got suddenly quiet and the mood dropped suddenly. The coffee had long left their systems and there was nothing left but the down time that follows caffeine high. Michael had got his wish and he'd gotten to know each of his comrades better than before. It was a mixed blessing that he'd wished he'd never initiated. There weren't any other words spoken as they headed off to their own sleeping places. 


End file.
